Last night I was moved to say something about remembering our friends and extended family in Japan. It was only last month that the Japanese were overwhelmed by an earthquake and tsunami of unfathomable power. It is so easy to forget that these good people still need our support.
This morning I woke up to the news of another earthquake in Japan. These proud, resilient people now face an even greater challenge, and it would seem that they need our thoughts, prayers — and charity — more than ever.
I was in Tokyo on March 11 when an earthquake caused a tsunami of historic proportions. About 24 hours later, I flew home to the safety of family and friends. But the Japanese people were left to sort through unimaginable death and the devastation of community.
At this hour, reports from Japan are scant. But officials say the quake was a 7.4-magnitude and happened 25 miles under the water and off the coast of Miyagi prefecture. Associated Press reported that buildings as far away as Tokyo shook for about a minute.
And Paul Caruso, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., told AP that today’s quake struck at about the same location and depth as the March 11 quake. Also, it is the strongest of the more than 1,000 aftershocks that have been felt, except for a 7.9 aftershock the day of the tsunami. Terrifying.
We tend to think of Japan as a wealthy nation that became an economic superpower in the latter half of the 20th Century that may not need our help.
Yet there is no precedent for the proportion of destruction — economic, personal and spiritual — that the Japanese suffered in March following a quake that was 9.0-magnitude.
Now, on the heels of that catastrophe, the Japanese people have been rattled again.
Who among us could remain poised and determined under these same circumstances? Who among us would not want and accept help from distant friends and allies?
Maybe we prefer not to remember people in need because it is a kind of emotional aftershock that is unsettling to those of us who might also feel vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, especially here in California.
My heart goes out to the Japanese people, who continue to amaze me with their dignity and generosity toward each other. But they need more than my feelings.
As long as the earth beneath our feet is stable and our shorelines are safe, we can do something. A few dollars to a charitable organization will be put to good use. I urge you to give in any way that you can, because I know my friends throughout Asia would do the same for me and you.
There is one more thing we can do in the months and perhaps years to come: remember that we’re all in this together.
